The employee is OK, although severely injured. He has cuts on his arm and face and is unable to speak comfortably.

What remains to be determined is the cause of the explosion. Atwater did respond with a statement, that the Fox station posted on their Web site:

Due to the countless possible explanations for what occurred and the many parties involved, it would be premature for us to comment intelligently on this specific case, and it would be unfair to assign or assume blame based on what little we know at this time.

Following a diligent and thorough investigation, we resolve to keep all interested parties updated and will make further comment at the appropriate time and as details reveal themselves.

I am sure many have heard of this, maybe even experienced it themselves. There are any number of possible causes for an exploding bottle -- from defects in the glass to overactive yeast, etc.

Personally, my own basement has come under fire more than once by over carbonated bottles of mead.

My only hope is that people will keep an open mind and not start a campaign against Atwater and/or craft beer.

Statement on Behalf of Atwater Block Brewery

We are aware of the incident that took place at a local retailer that carries our product, and we are naturally most concerned about the individual involved.

Rest assured, we are doing everything in our power to determine the cause of the event and to respond in the appropriate manner.

Unfortunately, such an occurrence is not uncommon our industry, from smaller distributors to larger operators. An incident such as this can have a variety of causes based on a wide range of factors.

So it is now our task to investigate the matter thoroughly, determine the cause of the event, and do everything possible to both address and remedy this specific instance, as well as taking the appropriate measures in
our power to prevent future incidents such as this.

Due to the countless possible explanations for what occurred and the many parties involved, it would be premature for us to comment intelligently on this specific case, and it would be unfair to assign or assume blame based on what little we know at this time.

Following a diligent and thorough investigation, we resolve to keep all interested parties updated and will make further comment at the appropriate time and as details reveal themselves.

We look forward to expeditious resolution of this matter and to keeping you informed along the way.